“Team owner Peter Sauber admitted at the Singapore GP that he would sign Schumacher ‘immediately’ if the former world champion became available, while Mercedes are believed to have offered the German a management role within the team.”

Vijay Mallya: “I still remember the situation in 2010 when Williams pipped us by one point at the last race, so I guess it?óÔé¼Ôäós not over until it?óÔé¼Ôäós over! I?óÔé¼Ôäóm still hoping that we can do it and one strong podium finish could help to wipe out Sauber?óÔé¼Ôäós advantage.”

“Greece unblocked a subsidy of 28.9 million euros ($37.2 million) for the construction of an international-standard racetrack that can be used for staging Formula One car racing, the Ministry of Development said.”

“Story was based on interview with [Robert] Kubica’s hand surgeon that was printed in Polish newspaper Super Express in the middle of Seprember, but there is one big problem. Someone put in Rossello?óÔé¼Ôäós mouths something that he never said.”

Alain Prost: “Visibility at the front was something I found quite difficult to deal with today. Apart from that all the systems in the car, the engine, the gearbox, the brakes ?óÔé¼ÔÇ£ they?óÔé¼Ôäóre all fantastic. Very good.”

“For many years Economaki?óÔé¼Ôäós keynote Speed Sport News column called ?óÔé¼?£The Editor?óÔé¼Ôäós Notebook?óÔé¼Ôäó was a must-read for everyone involved in American motor racing. He was able to move effortlessly from Formula 1 to NASCAR, midget and sprint car racing, Indycar racing, drag racing and every form of short track oval racing. A mention in Economaki?óÔé¼Ôäós column could make and sometimes break a career in the sport.”

Comment of the day

@Joao-Pedro-CQ was very pleased to see an article on Antonio Felix da Costa:

I, as a Portuguese, have been completely delighted with Da Costa?óÔé¼Ôäós performances. He is bringing a new hope to our country that maybe, someday, we will be able to win in Formula One, not only races, but also championships. He has been absolutely fantastic, even more since he signed with Red Bull, and it was a shame he couldn?óÔé¼Ôäót win GP3.

He his magical and it?óÔé¼Ôäós a great feeling for me to watch him racing, it brings emotions I haven?óÔé¼Ôäót had in a while. When he gets to F1, he will be awesome!@Joao-Pedro-CQ

91 comments on Button to get five-place grid penalty at Suzuka

Another good Scarbs article. It will be interesting to see how these covers shape up and just how obvious they will be. I assume there will need to be some sort of mechanism where it could just detach rather than become stressed and potentially dangerous?

Wow, the silly season started with a bang, but things seem to be getting a little complicated now. There are empty seats at Ferrari, Force India, Sauber, Lotus, Williams, Toro Rosso, Caterham, Marussia and HRT.
Ferrari’s seat next season is one of the most important. The Italian manufacturer have never left it this late to announce their driver line-up for the following season, mainly because, very much like 2006, they need a no.2. Massa’s game has been steadily rising, but he is still a long way off his teammate. What he needs is a podium to break his 35(gulp!)-race barren streak. I he can do that he’ll have done enough. However, Ferrari will be anxious to see their 23-year-old prodigy Jules Bianchi get a race seat(possibly at Force India) soon, which is why di Resta and especially Hulkenberg have been linked to the seat. For Force India, the decision isn’t too difficult. Obviously, they have no moral obligation to hand over either of their drivers to Ferrari as they aren’t a customer team. However, Bianchi next season would be a good appointment as he is experienced, and fast. Sauber is a strange case, with the likes of Heikki Kovalainen, Jaime Alguersuari, Charles Pic, Esteban Gutierrez, Nico Hulkenberg and even Michael Schumacher all named in being the replacement for McLaren-bound Sergio Perez next season. However, throw in the fact that even Kamui Kobayashi has not yet got a contract for next season, and things become even more spiced up. Lotus, on the other hand, have stayed away from the madness by saying that they are certain to keep their current driver line-up next season, although Grosjean has yet to announce his plans for 2013. In Williams, it seems increasingly probable that Bottas will will replace Senna next year. The madness we saw at the end of last year at Toro Rosso keeps me from saying anything about the Red Bull cadet-training team. It all depends on who does better in the last 6 races of the season. I would have imagined in mid-season that the lack of any Red Bull rookies in the main feeder series(GP2 and FR3.5) would mean that both drivers would be confirmed for next season, but Antonio Felix da Costa’s meteoric rise might still provide an element of uncertainty.Caterham are another team who are not sure about their line-up next season. Charles Pic has been linked to Vitaly Petrov’s seat, the latter who is almost certain to leave F1 next season due to lack of funds. But if Kovalainen moves away, the most probable replacement should be 27-year-old Giedo van der Garde. He might not be the best, but if you to choose between Rodolfo Gonzalez(who has as many GP2 points as F1 tests) and Alexander Rossi(who is probably not ready yet), he would be the best option. Marussa look certain to lose Charles Pic, but they have a ready replacement in Max Chilton, who could bring much-needed funding into the team, while Timo Glock is certain to stay for a 4th consecutive season. HRT have one empty seat, and there is no certainty as to who will be appointed.

@joepa Thanks for the suggestion. I don’t think automatic translations are accurate enough to rely on them solely at present. I can converse in a couple of other languages but not enough to regularly rely on them for this sort of thing.